


A Golden Tale

by Ruizu73



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Discrimination, Fluff, M/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 15:51:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2353961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruizu73/pseuds/Ruizu73
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mermaid!Merlin and Pirate!Arthur AU. Hunith had always told Merlin he was too curious for his own good, but he never listened, until his curiosity got him captured by a bunch of pirates, the golden haired captain of which, wants to use him to hunt down others of his kind and have them killed. Eventual Merthur, if they manage not to kill one another that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! So I’ve had this story up on fanfic for a while, but my friend told me to put it up here as well, and I have finally got round to it :)  
> I don't know much about ships or sailing, so I'm sorry if I use any words incorrectly, I did so some research into the roles of pirates and into the structure of ships and stuff, but I might have gotten something wrong, so please tell me so I can correct it :)   
> I've also used 'mermaid' instead of 'merman' so I'm sorry if that bugs you ^_^;  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this :)

It is known by many that mermaids are curious creatures, it is also well known that they are intelligent and so most of them will stay far away from humans, knowing that they may be caught and sold to a life of misery, living in a small tank for the rest of their lives and having no privacy as humans would keep them as pretty pets to impress others. Merlin however had no such worries. This may have been because he wasn't quite as bright as most mermaids, but what he lacked in intelligence he made up for in curiosity.

Merlin was a bit of a lone mermaid. He was very friendly, of course, his mother had raised him well, but due to his unnatural colouring, what with his eyes that shimmered gold in certain light, his pale complexion, his raven coloured locks and his golden tail, he never really seemed to fit in with the other mermaids. The other mermaids all had deep blue eyes, that never shimmered gold, they all has tanned skin that glowed in a healthy light, golden hair of many different hues, but never black, and no mermaid had ever had a golden tail, none except his father, Balinor, the Krakenlord. That was of course another reason he was a bit of an outcast, any Krakenlord was always excluded, feared by other mermaids due to their great strength, or rather the strength of the kraken they commanded.

However Merlin had grown up with a loving mother and his best friend Will to look after him, so he'd been content. Until he turned 20, when suddenly he had an urge to explore the world, to see for himself what else was out there. Both Will and Hunith had been against him to begin with, but they soon realised there was no dissuading the young man. He was his Father's son after all, and needed the freedom of the open ocean. So they had seen him off from the boundary of Ealdor into the open ocean, each hugging Merlin tightly and giving him a gift. His Mother gave him a pendant that held a Kraken carved out of pink coral with two Rubies for eyes, while Will had given him an earring that had a pattern similar to a discus fish, iridescent with golden orange lines flowing across the surface. Merlin had worn them both with pride, thanking both of them and allowing his mother to press one more kiss to his forehead before he turned and swam into new territory, turning back to give a final wave as he slid into a current and let himself go.

Several weeks had passed and Merlin was thoroughly enjoying himself, he felt truly at one with the ocean when there were no other mermaids around, he felt like he _belonged._ Of course he missed Hunith and Will but he was so grateful they had let him go, and whenever he missed them too much he would just look at the gift they had given him and remember them. The ocean was his oyster and he simply allowed the currents to take him were they would, floating through the ocean, just enjoying the freedom, seeing new sights, making memories.

For now Merlin rested in a fairly shallow part of the sea, he had drifted close to an island and so far had decided not to get back to deeper waters; it was so warm here after all. The sunlight penetrated the water and spread warm rays across the golden mermaid as he lay languidly on the sandy sea floor, staring up to see the patterns of light reflect on the water's surface. Merlin stretched out as the sunlight caressed him, his tail elongating and his back arching as he stretched his underworked muscles. He'd been relying on the current a little too often recently. On a sudden impulse he swam up to the surface, he had been to the surface before, of course, but not when he'd been beside an island, he wondered if he'd see a new sight. New birds or plants or creatures.

He broke the surface of the water, tipping his head back and watching as water droplets fell from his hair. He took a deep breath in, tasting the salty air as a light breeze caressed him. The surface was truly beautiful. Merlin loved the sky, slightly lighter in colour than the ocean, with wispy white clouds hanging by invisible strings. Merlin drew in another breath; mermaids had evolved to have glands that secreted a liquid substance into the gills on their necks, meaning Merlin could breathe in and out of water. The glands needed to take in substances from the sea to continue secreting the liquid though, so he could only go a certain amount of time without sea water.

Merlin turned towards the island, taking in the sights and the sounds, the rushing of the waves, the birdsong, and the wind in his hair, the golden sand and the green vegetation. It was beautiful. Merlin let out a sigh of contentment before turning to look out to sea. Merlin then noticed a dark spot on the horizon. He couldn't see any detail from here, but it seemed to be a fairly large object if he could see it from this far away. He waited and observed for a few minutes longer, noticing that the spot seemed to be slowly getting bigger, meaning it must be coming towards him. Now at this point, most mermaids would swim back to the depths of the ocean, where they were safe, not that any normal mermaid would be this close to the surface anyway. Merlin however, being as inquisitive as he is, hardly even considered swimming away from this object on the surface. He needed to know what it was. So he started swimming towards it.

***

Arthur stood at the stern of his ship, looking forwards to the deserted island they were heading towards. Leon stood with him controlling the helm. They were a small and select crew and they shared a lot of trust, so Arthur was comfortable with them sharing roles as he saw himself an equal to all his crew. A flash of light reflecting in the ocean suddenly caught his attention but when he turned to look closer there didn't appear to be anything there.

"Captain?"                            

Arthur quickly diverted his attention back to Gwaine, his boatswain.

"Yes, Gwaine?"

"We're ready to drop the anchor when you are, Captain."

"I trust your judgement, Gwaine. Give the word when you think we're close enough."

"Aye, sir."

Gwaine strolled away, giving a few orders to the rest of the crew.

Arthur then turned to speak to his quartermaster, Leon. "I don't want to be here longer than necessary, just long enough to collect the supplies and repair the mast, then we'll be off again."

Leon nodded in acknowledgement of his captain before continuing to focus on steering the ship towards the island.

A few minutes later and Gwaine was shouting orders as the anchor was dropped and the ship pulled to a stop. A plank was extended from the ship into the shallows and the men poured out onto the white sand, stretching their muscles and joking with each other as they felt the sand underneath their feet.

Arthur was the last to follow his crew out onto the beach, but when he spoke all eyes turned to their captain, and the crew listened with respect.

"Elyan, I'd like you to stay with the ship. If you see anything then just call, I'm sure this island is small enough that at least one of us will hear you wherever we are. Gwaine and Percival, you're in charge of collecting the wood we need to repair the foremast. Leon, you and I will go searching for food and fresh water. Everything clear?"

A chorus of "Aye, sir." Came back to him and they spilt their separate ways.

Arthur and Leon had managed to collect enough fresh fruit to last through a couple of weeks and had found a small spring to fill up their canteens and a barrel they had brought for fresh water. They had several barrels containing breads and dried beans back on the ship, they even had some salted meat left, but that would soon go rotten and they needed more food to keep them going after that. Gwaine and Percival were also successful, they'd found enough wood to repair the foremast and they had headed back to the ship earlier on so as they could start the repair job.

Arthur and Leon had just started the slow walk back to the ship, hauling the barrel of water, stacked with fruit, between them when they heard a shout from the ship, followed by a cry from Elyan, "Captain! Leon! Come quick!" The two men quickly lowered the barrel and raced towards the beach.

***

Merlin had swum closer to the dark spot and soon made it out as a ship. He waited a little longer as it came towards him before he spotted the men onboard. There didn't appear to be many, they were all rushing about the deck, busy with many tasks. Merlin knew about ships, of course, they'd been mentioned in his stories as a child and then when he was older they were spoken of by others, warning him of how dangerous the men upon them were. But Merlin was curious and he felt that surely not _all_ humans would be as bad as the stories made them out to be. Surely some must be as inquisitive as him. They looked the same from the waist up, so some of them may have the same ideals as morals as mermaids, at least that was what Merlin chose to believe.

He looked to the back of the ship and saw two men standing there, both had blonde hair, like the mermaids he was so used to. He watched as one of the men looked out to sea, scanning the horizon and he quickly ducked below the water, raising his tail above the water slightly so as to push down and propel himself towards the ship. He didn't want to be seen quite yet, he knew to at least exercise _some_ caution, considering he really didn't know much about these men.

He came close to the wooden exterior and swam beside the ship underwater, still hidden from view. He tentatively reached out a hand to brush along the ship, pulling back in hesitation before carefully resting his hand on the wood. He'd seen a shipwreck or two before, but this was different, this ship was still alive with the bustle of activity above and the purpose of her crew members.

Merlin was soon travelling into shallow waters with the ship and stayed a little ways behind, finally moving back up to the surface to see what was happening. He could hear the men running around on deck, with someone shouting orders at them. He suddenly heard a splash and whipped round, to see a weight had been dropped from the ship, dragging on the sand of the sea floor before bringing the ship to rest.

Suddenly the men were running down onto the beach, laughing and rough housing each other. Why it was funny to punch and fight one another, Merlin couldn't understand, but he found it amusing to watch anyway. Merlin stared in fascination as their legs allowed them so much movement, they could run and jump and kneel and roll and so much more. Merlin soon found himself slightly jealous of the capabilities of these men.

Merlin observed as the men all stopped and turned to towards the final man to leave the ship, it was the blonde man who had looked out to sea earlier. Merlin quickly picked up the names of the men as the captain spoke. Although he was still unsure as to which way round Gwaine and Percival were and he didn't know the name of the captain. The conversation suddenly came to an end and Merlin had to leap back into the shadows of the boat as he hadn't realised how far forward he'd come in order to overhear the conversation.

Fortunately Elyan didn't spot Merlin, and just continued to walk along the beach, looking out to sea and watching over the ship. Soon the other two, Gwaine and Percival, had returned, both laden down with wood. They placed their loads down on the sand and headed up into the ship. Merlin edged forward again, leaning out of the shade, to see where the two men had gone, but in his interest to see where they had gone, he had forgotten that Elyan was still walking along the beach. He was soon reminded of this fact when Elyan let out a shout and ran towards him. His tail was still hidden from view by the ship but as Elyan got closer and Merlin failed to push himself back fast enough in the shallow water, his tail was revealed and Elyan let out a gasp before jumping onto the mermaid and tightening his arms around Merlin, before calling out to the two on the ship and then to the other two men who were still in another area of the island.

Percival peered over the top of the ship and he too let out a gasp before yelling something at Gwaine and then jumping over the rail into the water so he could help Elyan. When Merlin realised the larger man was coming to help Elyan hold him he struggled harder, his tail thrashing and splashing the two men as it hit the shallow water's surface. Elyan's hold slipped as he struggled harder and Merlin was about to push off from Elyan and back into the water, when Percival grabbed him and the chance was lost.

"Oi, Gwaine! You ready?" Percival called up.

"Yeah, just give me a signal." Gwaine replied from on deck.

Merlin was frantic at this point, not used to humans or being manhandled and he was fighting against Percival and Elyan as hard as he could, ignoring what the pirates were saying to one another in favour of trying to escape their hold on him.

Suddenly Merlin was only being held by Percival, his head facing towards the ocean as he was carried a little further out.

"Alright, now!" Percival called out and everything was a blur as too much happened too quickly. Percival let Merlin go and the mermaid shot forward in an attempt to escape, but as he did he failed to notice the net that was thrown down on him from above. One minute he was leaping to freedom; the next he was knocked down and caught in a net, the rope entangling him and preventing his escape.

The next thing he knew, he was bundled up in Percival's arms again and carried onto the beach. Fear ran through him as he thought through his options. He couldn't call the Kraken, they were in too shallow water for the beast to reach them at the moment, and he obviously couldn't do much while sitting in a net. He'd just have to go along with what the pirates wanted for now, but knowing his course of action didn't calm his nerves as he saw the captain and Leon running towards him.

***

Arthur ran closer to the ship, seeing Percival holding a net with a figure in it. Did they have a stowaway on their ship? But as he got closer he could see that the figure appeared to have a golden tail. _A mermaid._ He slowed and came to a stop in front of Percival as Elyan and Gwaine also joined the group.

"Percival." He said, slightly out of breath, "You caught a mermaid?"

Percival and the two others all nodded and waited for their Captain's orders.

"That's excellent! Good job, men. Take it to my cabin."

"Sir? Aren't you just going to kill it here? I thought you wanted to kill all the mermaids." At this suggestion from Leon, the mermaid started struggling again.

Arthur paused before replying. "Exactly Leon. And this mermaid is going to help me find the others."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ Thank you to the people still reading :)  
> I just want to make it clear that Merlin doesn’t have the magic he has in the show in this story, as someone on the fanfic account asked. Although he does have the bond with the kraken, so I guess that could be considered magic, but apart from that he doesn't have his regular powers, I hope this doesn't stop you wanting to read the story :)  
> Anyway, on with chapter 2, hope you enjoy :D

Merlin's eyes widened in shock as he realised Arthur was planning on using him to hurt others. He stopped struggling so he could glare up at the captain through the net, he was ignored however and soon Percival was hauling him up onto the ship and into the captain's cabin. Although Merlin was angry and confused he still looked around in awe at the craftsmanship of the boat, seeing it all in good condition, rather than smashed and rotted at the bottom of the ocean. He still had his curiosity after all.

He was soon brought back to the present as Percival removed the netting. Merlin saw his chance and immediately started to move away from the man, as Percival was still holding the net. Percival raised his eyebrow and Merlin realised that compared to the human with _legs_ he didn't have much of a chance of actually getting across to the door first, opening the door and crawling across the deck, over the rail and into the ocean, and Percival knew that too. He sagged a little as he realised he wasn't going to get out of this easily. Percival walked over to another corner in the room picking something up and bundling it in his hand. But while his back was turned Merlin had picked up a small candle holder that had been in his corner and as Percival turned back around Merlin threw it with all his might towards the man's head.

Percival just managed to dodge it and it glanced off his shoulder instead. The pirate didn't even seem to care, he had a small frown on his face but that was the only reaction Merlin could detect. As Percival came back over Merlin flinched, expecting a blow in retaliation but all the man did was take both of wrists and pull them behind Merlin's back, tying them together with some rope and then tying the end of the rope up and around a beam across the ceiling, well out of reach of the mermaid, giving enough slack so that Merlin could still happily sit on the floor, even move about in a small area, but couldn't get close to the door or the captain's desk and hammock. Then Percival left without even a glance his way and Merlin was alone.

Merlin sat and blinked slowly as everything sunk in. It just didn't seem real. He'd actually been captured by pirates. His mother had always warned him his curiosity would get him in trouble, but he never imagined something like _this_ would happen. He knew that he could call the kraken, Kilgharrah, through their bond when they were out in deeper water, but could he really call the Kraken knowing the death of these humans would be on his hands? He knew he wouldn't be able to control Kilgharrah to do any less than destroy the ship and everyone on it, the kraken was a wilful beast, and Merlin's control over him was still developing, he wasn't strong  
enough to fully control the kraken yet. Could he really call Kilgharrah knowing the consequences? ...he thought not.

But on the other hand he couldn't allow these pirates to kill others of his kind, admittedly some mermaids had been cruel to him, and excluded him in the past, but some had also shown kindness, they were innocent and none of them deserved death. Of course he wouldn't just _tell_ the captain where the mermaids were and how to find them, but he didn't know what these humans could do, how far they'd be willing to go to kill other mermaids. Would they starve him? Would they torture him? Would they leave him here alone until the glands by his gills stopped working and his gills would stick together, leaving him to suffocate slowly to death?

Merlin could feel his panic rising. He'd already been out of water a fair amount of time, since he'd been breathing the air while hiding in the shallow water earlier, so he guessed he'd been out of water for about half an hour now. He'd been out for slightly longer in the past, to watch a sunset on one of the first nights after he'd left Ealdor. But he didn't know how long he could stay out of water before the glands stopped secreting liquid. He was already finding it difficult to breathe, although that was probably due to his panic, not his gills closing.

He pulled at his bindings slightly frantic, but soon realised he was only hurting himself by making the rope chafe against his wrists. Gradually he calmed down, taking in deep breaths and stopping his struggles, a few minutes passed and his breathing finally evened out. He couldn't do anything for now, he'd just have to wait and see what would happen. He just had to stay focused and not panic. He would find a way out of this. Merlin closed his eyes and lay down on his side, sighing as he waited for the pirates to make their move.

***

"So captain, what's the plan?" Gwaine asked when they were all sat together back on the beach, sitting facing the ship so they would see if their hostage tried to make an escape. They were all working on carving the wood to replace the foremast, while holding an impromptu meeting at the same time.

"We continue on our route to Gaius, I'm sure he'll have some useful information, if the mermaid refuses to speak. And even if the mermaid does speak I'm sure Gaius would be interested in a live specimen. His island is a little out of the way, but after all he's done for us, what with giving us a base and healing our injuries in the past, I think it's the least we could do."

There were murmurs of agreement and a few nods from the rest of the group as Arthur finished speaking.

"And you're really going to use this mermaid to find its brethren?" Gwaine spoke again, looking slightly displeased for whatever reason.

"Yes, of course, why else would I keep him? He's already a burden, another mouth to feed."

"What do you plan to do to him?"

"Whatever I have to do to make him talk, Gwaine. Did you expect anything less?"

Gwaine frowned, "I don't agree with torture. He feels pain, he feels emotions. You just had to look at his face to see that, you could read him like an open book! It's wrong to torture him. You know I have different views on mermaids to you, captain. I do not believe they are all evil."

"Then you are a naive child, Gwaine."

Gwaine's anger sparked, "And you are an arrogant prat!"

"So you'd disregard me as your captain? You would go against me? For the sake of a mermaid?!"

Gwaine let out a sigh, his anger quickly abating, "you know I trust you as much as you trust all of us, and I know you are the true captain. That doesn't mean I agree with everything you believe, but I will always be loyal to you, Arthur."

Gwaine turned away, taking his piece of wood up onto the ship and continuing to work there, not wanting to continue an argument with his captain.

"And what of the rest of you? Do you agree with him?!" Arthur questioned the other three men. Elyan gave an awkward cough and all of them looked down or away. The answer was clear then. Arthur felt anger coil in his gut and let out a huff of exasperation.

"Fine! If you're all so worried about the creature I'll go and check on it right now." Arthur stood and walked onto the ship, breezing past Gwaine without acknowledging him before sweeping into his cabin. What he found was not what he expected.

***

Merlin lay on his side, breathing hard. He'd been alone for a long time now. He'd already been breathing air for half an hour before coming in here and since then another hour had passed, presumably the men were outside planning what to do, or maybe doing something with all the wood they'd collected. Merlin didn't really care what they were doing though; he just hoped one of them would come back soon. After an hour and a half up on land he felt he was reaching his limit, the air felt thick and his gills were starting to stick together, the glands were producing much less liquid now, and he was sure the gills would stick completely together soon and he would be cut off from his oxygen supply.

Merlin closed his eyes, trying to relax and keep his breathing under control when the door opened and the captain swept in, only to step back in shock as he saw the mermaid lying on the floor looking pathetic, breathing heavily with his eyes fluttering closed. Merlin hardly reacted; he really did feel weak now. The captain stepped towards the mermaid again, reluctantly using the toe of his brown leather boots to prod the hostage in the ribs.

"What's wrong with you? You look terrible." Arthur said without a shred of sympathy, he was still irritated that his crew had disagreed with him.

Merlin struggled to speak but finally managed, "can't breathe...need...water..." before his head lolled forward onto the floor.

Arthur reacted almost immediately, taking only a second to get over the fact that the mermaid had spoken its first words to him, his irritation gone as he realised that the mermaid was in serious danger of dying.

"Gwaine! Get the largest container we have and fill it with sea water, quickly!"

He heard a reply of confirmation, knowing Gwaine would obey him due to the tone of his voice.

He reached for the canteen at his belt and unscrewed the top, moving over and pouring some of the water over the boy's neck, letting the gills soak in the liquid.

This immediately seemed to perk the other up slightly as he heaved in a great breathe and opened his eyes.

Seeing that the boy had at least regained some of his senses, the Captain bent down and untied the mermaid, picked him up and walked out to the deck, finding the other four men manoeuvring a large crate filled with sea water between them. The crate was about one metre wide by two metres in length and one metre in depth. It was large enough for the supplies they often carried, but it was rather cramped for a mermaid. It would have to do. The crew gently lowered the crate onto the deck and Arthur let the mermaid slip from his grip and into the water.

Merlin let himself sink to the bottom of the crate, revelling in the water as it caressed him in its embrace. A few minutes passed and he felt a lot better. His gills were working once more and he could finally breathe properly. He looked up through the water to see the crew staring down at him and he couldn't help but feel like a specimen about to be examined. He rose to the surface and popped above the surface, leaving his neck underwater.

The captain soon stopped watching him and instead gave a few orders to his men "I want this crate taken through to my cabin, it needs to be enlarged too, it's too cramped at the moment. I'll leave the details to you Gwaine; get Percival to help you. Leon, Elyan; we'll continue repairing the mast. Understood?" A few nods were given and Leon and Elyan followed Arthur down onto the beach to continue carving the wood. Merlin was left with Gwaine and Percival.

They both bent down to pick up the heavy crate and soon realised it was far too heavy to lift more than a few centimetres.

"Alright mermaid, you're gonna have to get out for a sec." Gwaine said, as the crate was placed back on the floor. Merlin startled as he realised it was him being addressed, but complied with the man's wishes, cautiously leaving the water to breathe air again, and pulling himself over the side of the crate onto the deck.

"Right let's get you into the captain's room. Wouldn't want you escaping while we move the crate." Gwaine picked Merlin up as he said this, chuckling as the mermaid glared at him, and took him into the cabin, carefully placing him down on the floor.

"Now, do I need to tie you up again or will you be good and stay here?"

Merlin paused, he realised he couldn't really go anywhere, Gwaine and Percival would take less than a minute to bring the crate in without his extra weight pulling it down and considering they would be using the doorway, they could easily stop him if he tried to leave.

Merlin hesitantly replied, "I'll stay..."

"Great, we'll be back in a sec" the man smiled down at him before he walked back out to the crate.

Merlin sat still as he said he would and waited for the men to return, listening to their footsteps as they moved about on the deck. It was strange that Gwaine had smiled at him. Gwaine didn't seem to mind him at all, while the others seemed fairly cautious around him and the captain seemed to hate him. But did he really? After all, he didn't hesitate to help him when he was suffocating. He even asked to have the crate enlarged because it was slightly too cramped at the moment. Why would he bother if he hated him and was possibly going to torture him? It didn't make sense.

Merlin's thoughts were interrupted as Gwaine and Percival re-entered the room, carrying the crate between them. They placed it down and then left again, presumably to get the tools and wood needed to enlarge the crate. They returned a few minutes later and started working. It didn't seem that there was too much to do, the wood they had brought in easily fitted together to form another crate the same size as Merlin's at the moment. The crates could be easily taken apart and put together again as they were used for supplies and then taken apart to conserve space on the ship.

Merlin watched as the two worked, they seemed to make a good pair, working quickly and efficiently together, while still being able to talk and joke with one another. Soon the two crates were attached, they just had to remove the side of the crate separating the two sections and then fill it with more sea water and it would be done.

"Hey, Percival? Think you could carry a barrel of sea water up here by yourself? I'll remove the last side of the crate while you do it."

"Yeah, sure." Percival got up and left while Gwaine removed the screws holding the box together, lifting out the side to let the sea water flow into the newly attached crate and standing back to admire his handiwork.

"So, what do you think? Pretty sturdy huh?" Gwaine patted the box as he turned to Merlin.

"It's...fine" Merlin replied, a little shocked that Gwaine was conversing with him again.

"Fine? Is that all? I'm the best carpenter you'll find for miles around here; I think it's better than that!"

"We're on a deserted island; there _is_ no one else for miles around."

"Damn, you got me!" Gwaine winked and smiled as he crouched down to Merlin's height, were he was sitting on the floor. "So, how are you holding up?"

"Why do you hate me?" Merlin replied with a sudden question of his own, making Gwaine pause as he considered an answer.

"...well I don't, and I'm pretty sure Percival, Elyan and Leon don't hate you either, they're just not sure about you, and Arthur, well Arthur's got his own problems, but don't worry, he's just a prat really. He won't... I won't let him harm you, alright?"

"I wouldn't speak of the captain like that if I were you, Gwaine." Percival interrupted as he entered, struggling with a heavy barrel.

"Well, he knows that's what I think; it shouldn't change much if I say it out loud." The dark-haired man grinned and got up to help his friend, lifting one end of the barrel to allow the sea water to pour into the crate.

"And we're done!" Gwaine and Percival put the barrel down and Gwaine walked over to Merlin, picking him up and placing him in the enlarged crate that was now a two metre by two metre square, still only a metre in depth, but it was better than before and Merlin smiled slightly as he stretched out his tail.

The two men turned to leave, but as they reached the door Merlin called out, "Wait! Um...thank you."

Both men smiled before Gwaine replied "you're welcome" and they left.

Merlin sank into the water thinking over what Gwaine had said, that they didn't hate him, but Arthur had his own 'problems'. He was surprised that the conversation had flowed so smoothly with Gwaine; he hadn't felt so much like a prisoner, but rather an equal. It was nice. And he finally knew the captain's name. Arthur. It sounded right, the name fitted the man. And Gwaine had said he wouldn't let Arthur harm him. Did he really mean it, or was he just trying to get Merlin to open up to him and give him information? Merlin sighed, feeling worn out from the day and he pushed away all the thoughts spinning in his head, letting himself sink into sleep, the comforting darkness closing around him as his eyes shut.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's still here :D   
> Enjoy the chap!

The Sun was setting as Gwaine and Percival returned from the captain's cabin, and with the last of the light the crew finally managed to finish the new foremast.

"Right, we'll attach the mast in the morning when we have some light on the matter, for now I think it's best if everyone gets some sleep. God knows we've had a busy day." His crew nodded in agreement and got up to leave for their sleeping quarters.

"You too, captain, you need your rest as well." Leon said as he passed Arthur, laying a hand on the captain's shoulder.

"I know Leon, I'll go soon, you know I can't get to sleep as well as you lot. It's even harder since I can hear Gwaine's snores from the other end of the ship." Arthur replied good-naturedly, smirking at Gwaine.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ loud!" Gwaine said, making a face at his captain, but as the others all gave him looks clearly saying 'yes, you are' he shut up and left for his room, grumbling under his breath that no one appreciated him.

The others followed after Gwaine and Arthur was left on the beach. He sighed, it had been a long day, but he wasn't ready to go to bed quite yet, his thoughts were still active, swirling around in his mind. He walked back up the ramp onto his ship, climbing up the rigging to the crow's nest. He usually came up here at night when he couldn't sleep, to let his thoughts overtake him or to block them out completely. He took a moment to relax, looking out to sea, watching as the moonlight reflected off the rippling surface. _Beautiful_. He breathed in the sea air, closing his eyes as a light breeze ruffled his hair. He looked back up into the sky to see the bright stars blinking back at him. It truly was a sight to behold.

Arthur sat down, feeling calmer now. He let himself reflect on the day. Well, reflect on the mermaid really. The mermaid was rather odd. Although he guessed he could say that about all of those creatures, but there did seem to be something about this one that was...different. _Maybe his idiocy_ he thought. But then again maybe not, it was more...his _looks_ that were different. He looked very different to the mermaids his father had caught and shown him when he was a child; he looked different to all the diagrams in Gaius' books as well. All other mermaids seemed to have brown or blonde hair. And tanned skin. And none he had seen had a golden tail. Most of them had blue or green tails, he assumed to camouflage them in the blue ocean. So why did this one look so _different?_

Another thing was that Gwaine had been right (for once), the mermaid was as easy to read as an open book, everything was plain to see in his expression, he had seen the fear on his face plain as day when he was lying on the floor suffocating, he'd seen the look of shock as Arthur had poured water over his gills and he heaved in oxygen, he'd seen the look of complete relief as he had slid into the sea water in the crate. His emotions were displayed so openly. So _humanly._ It wasn't right, this creature was an animal, to be exploited by the human race as the lesser species they were. So why did it act so humanly? No other mermaid he had seen had acted this way, they only ever acted like cowardly animals, backing away and viciously, _futilely_ , fighting back, spitting words of contempt and hatred.

But this one was different. It seemed...curious. Interested in them, rather than shying away from them. Elyan had said he'd only caught it because the mermaid was by their ship, leaning into the light to watch them. It seemed rather stupid that the mermaid would take such little precaution not to be spotted, but he was definitely unique compared to others of his kind. Or maybe that was just an act, to make itself seem human so he would take pity on it; maybe the mermaid thought he would release it if he just acted pathetic enough. He'd already reacted instantly when he'd seen the mermaid suffocating. He'd even asked for the crate to be enlarged. Did the creature think it could take advantage of his kindness?! Anger swirled low in the captain's stomach. He bet the beast was plotting against him right n- oh. He called the mermaid an idiot, yet he was the truly idiotic one, how could he _be_ so careless as to leave it in his cabin without a guard! And not even tied up, it was free to do as it chose.

Arthur leaped down the rigging, horrified that he had been so stupid, the beast was probably rooting around in his desk, destroying his equipment and documents. _Idiot._ He reprimanded himself as he rushed over to his cabin door, attempting to keep his footsteps quiet. He leaned up against the door, pressing his ear to it in the hopes of hearing what the mermaid was doing on the other side of the door. However he heard nothing, so he quietly pushed the door open a few centimetres, peering through. Still nothing. Could it be that the mermaid had ...escaped?! With this new thought he pushed the door fully open, turning to look into the corner that had been hidden from his view. At first the crate appeared to be empty, but as he stepped towards it, a malicious expression on his face, he paused as he saw a dark figure on the bottom of the crate. The cruel look slipped from his face as he realised the mermaid was asleep.

Arthur stared in shock for a second, before he scoffed. This mermaid really was an idiot. He'd had a perfect chance to escape, yet he'd fallen asleep. Amazing, truly amazing. And Arthur had feared the mermaid was plotting against him. How utterly ridiculous. Arthur shook his head at himself, closing his cabin door and locking it before turning and walking to his hammock. He changed into his night clothes swiftly and lay down on his hammock. He had worried that the mermaid might try to suffocate him in his sleep, but seeing what a complete dimwit he appeared to be he felt much safer now, he was sure he could fight off the mermaid anyway. He turned to the wall and let sleep consume him.

***

Arthur woke the next morning to the sound of his crew bustling around outside. He got up and immediately changed into his day clothes, peering into the crate as he passed to unlock the door. The fool still seemed to be asleep, twitching slightly at the bottom of the crate. Arthur rolled his eyes and peered out onto the deck.

"Morning men."

A cheery chorus of "morning captain!" came back to him and he raised his eyebrow at them.

"How can you lot be this jolly so early in the morning?" He asked the rhetorical question before he walked down into their stores to get some fruit for breakfast. He picked several brightly coloured fruits from the new barrel-full they'd collected yesterday. He should probably eat the old fruit first, but he was not feeling up for slightly soft apples today (not that he _ever_ would), so he instead just went for what he wanted.

He felt today was going to be a long day, they had to fix the foremast, set sail on their route to Gaius and he would have to talk to the prisoner. He picked up some salted meat and a slice of bread on his way out. His excuse was that he'd need extra energy to get through the day. He threw some fruit to his crew as he walked back to his cabin, knowing they would have waited for him to decide his breakfast before getting any themselves.

"I want the foremast fixed as soon as possible. We'll set sail immediately after. Make sure to go fill your canteens from the spring on the island before we leave." Arthur gave his orders as he opened the door again, looking over his shoulder to catch the nods and "aye, sir" from his crew.

He turned back to enter his room but stopped as Gwaine called out to him.

"Don't forget what I said yesterday captain. I don't agree with torture."

Arthur didn't turn to look back and carried on into his cabin, refusing to answer the man. He thought he heard a soft "prat" muttered under Gwaine's breathe but chose to ignore it, only letting his eyebrow twitch in frustration before he let the comment go. He kicked the crate lightly to rouse the mermaid and had to jump back as the mermaid shot up out of the surface of the water, causing a large splash.

"Watch it!" He called out, narrowly avoiding getting soaked.

The mermaid looked at him with large eyes, not saying a word. Well that was fine with Arthur, as long as he answered his questions later, he preferred the peace and quiet to mindless chatter anyway.

"Here. I'm sure you're hungry, you didn't eat yesterday." _And whose fault was that?_ a small voice criticized in his head as he held out the mango to the mermaid, holding the bread and meat in his other hand.

"What is it?" The mermaid asked, tentatively reaching out to take it.

"A mango, it's a fruit we eat around here, it only grows in the tropics."

The mermaid hesitantly bit into the fruit, juice running down his chin. He didn't seem to mind though as his eyes widened and he ate some more.

"Enjoying it?" Arthur asked with raised eyebrows.

The mermaid nodded enthusiastically as he continued to bite into the fruit.

"Ow! What's that?" The creature asked as he pulled back and showed the half eaten mango to Arthur.

The captain had to hold back a laugh at the mermaid's shocked expression, and the reason for said expression. He was being too carefree, he had to remember the mermaid was his hostage; he was using it to gain information, not to have a laugh.

"It's the seed. It can be used to grow more mangoes."

The hostage's eyes widened in awe and his mouth dropped open.

"Really? That's amazing! Can we grow some more now, I want to see!"

And then Arthur really did have to laugh, because the creature had such a funny expression, such excitement in his voice and it was such a silly suggestion, although of course he couldn't expect the mermaid to know about fruit they grew on land, since the mermaid lived underwater, but it still made him chuckle.

"No we can't, they take a very long time to grow, and they can only grow out in the soil, not in a ship."

The mermaid gave a small pout at that before continuing to eat the mango.

"How do things grow in the ocean? What do you actually eat?"

"We eat sea weed and anything that's smaller than us really; we're pretty much at the top of the food chain when it comes to the ocean. And sea weed doesn't have seeds like this, it divides and just makes a replicate of itself, you can chop a bit off and it will just continue to grow. Can I keep this?"

The captain gave a strange look to the mermaid as it held the seed in its hand, after eating all the flesh around it, but nodded, more interested in the information about mermaids and their food source.

He started towards his desk, planning on writing down some notes when the mermaid asked him a question. "Can I try some of that too?" He was pointing towards the bread and meat. Arthur's mood immediately dampened at the audacity of the creature.

"No, you may not. This is expensive and I would not waste it on the likes of you." Arthur sneered, looking down his nose at the creature.

It seemed taken aback as it just stared for a second before it regained its senses and glared at the captain.

"It was just a question, no need to be so hostile." He pouted.

The captain ignored him and moved back to his desk, biting into his breakfast and opening his journal, starting to take notes.

After a few minutes of tense silence the captain finished his notes and sat back to start questioning the mermaid.

"So, do you have a name?"

Silence met his question.

"Ahh, I see. You're being mature and deciding to ignore me"

He heard a soft huff pass the mermaid's lips, but the silence prevailed.

He shook his head before standing up and picking up the last bit of bread and meat. He'd said it was expensive, but it wasn't really, of course it would be if they'd actually _paid_ for it, but they'd stolen most of it from another ship, and it was going to go off soon anyway, so he might as well feed it to the mermaid.

"You are a real pain, you know that? Here, just take it."

The mermaid's face lit up as he saw what Arthur had brought him and he quickly snatched it from the Captain's grasp, scarfing it down in just a few seconds. Once it was gone he licked his finger and turned to the captain with a grin on his face.

"It was delicious, thank you."

Huh, so the dimwit could be polite after all. Good to know. Arthur nodded in acknowledgement of the thank you before asking again,

"Will you give me your name now?"

"Merlin. My name's Merlin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I actually went and looked up how sea weed reproduces for this chapter and I also had the Wikipedia page on mangoes open and my Mum came in and saw and just raised her eyebrow and gave me a look.   
> This is what I do for you guys, look up sea weed and mangoes and endure the awkwardness of my Mum asking what on earth I'm doing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in my last chapter I said mermaids were pretty much at the top of the food chain, and a reviewer on fanfic asked about sharks. So let me explain my little headcanon for my mermaid universe. Basically, I quite like sharks, we kill way more sharks in a year than sharks kill humans and it's usually cos they mistake us for seals anyway. So I don't imagine them attacking mermaids unless they feel threatened or are super freaking hungry. In my headcanon the two species just kinda avoid each other, sure, they both prey on the same fish in some areas of the ocean, but they tend to find enough food and so they don't have to compete with one another. So yes, sharks are at the top of the food chain as well, but as an equal predator, they don't attack each other. Mermaids are more peaceful than humans. Hope that makes sense and satisfies any curiosity :D 
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter :)

"So, _Mer_ lin, why are you so different to other mermaids?" After learning Merlin's name Arthur had proceeded to continuously use it, lilting the 'Mer' part of his name in a way that was rather irritating to Merlin.

However, he was learning to cope, and ignored the mocking way Arthur pronounced his name.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come now _Mer_ lin, don't play dumb, you're too good at that when you're _not_ acting."

Merlin smiled, tight-lipped, refusing to reply. The captain really was a prat. And he'd thought they were getting on earlier.

Arthur sighed in exaggerated exasperation when he didn't reply. "Your _looks_ , _Mer_ lin. You're very different to most mermaids. Black hair, pale skin, a golden tail."

"Not to mention my eyes."

"Your eyes? What's different about them?"

"They're gold too. Well, when the light is right."

Arthur stood from where he'd been sitting at his desk, making notes while he spoke with the mermaid. He walked over to Merlin, taking hold of his chin and tilting it in different directions, stopping as the light caught Merlin's eyes just right and _yes_ , yes they were golden.

The deep blue melted with the gold and it looked like a molten sunset across the sea.

"Stunning..." Arthur breathed out, not realising he had spoken aloud until Merlin looked up at him with a questioning look on his face.

"Oh, uh. Ahem. I meant interesting. Good information." Arthur returned to his seat, ignoring his embarrassment and returning to the questioning. "So, is there a reason you are so different?"

"Oh...I don't really know, I was just born like this."

"If you're going to lie to me don't bother saying anything at all. You are just far too easy to read. You show all the text book signs of anxiety; you're looking away, fidgeting. It's just too simple."

Merlin continued to look down, staying quiet.

"Alright. How about you tell me about your home? Where is it? How many of you are there?" Arthur spoke the words like they were harmless questions, but Merlin knew they were anything but. He sunk lower in the water, just keeping his chin above the surface, refusing to say a word. He would not allow Arthur to use him to destroy his home and the people in it.

Arthur was clearly getting angry at the lack of replies as his hands drew into fists and his jaw clenched shut. When he spoke his words held a warning tone.

"Merlin. As my hostage you have no right to withhold information, especially since I've been so kind to you. Maybe you'd forgotten, but if I remember correctly I saved your life yesterday. I think that demands some kind of favour in return, don't you think?" His saccharine words were patronising and only managed to increase Merlin's own irritation.

"No, you're wrong, kindness does not leave you in someone's debt, true kindness is selfless and expects nothing in return, if you are saying I owe you then you were not truly showing kindness, and so you're argument is invalid and I owe you nothing."

That was it. Arthur would not take the mermaid talking back to him like that, lecturing him on kindness, as if the creature even knew what kindness was! It wasn't human so it would know nothing of true kindness, how _dare_ it talk to him that way.

Arthur stood from behind his desk and walked over to the crate, his harsh anger showing in the lines of his face.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that, _mermaid_. You are beneath me and so you will show me the respect I deserve, is that clear?" He sneered, glaring down at the creature.

Oh, so Arthur had resorted to not using his name now, to show how utterly beneath him he was. Well two could play at that game.

Merlin sunk down lower, taking in a mouthful of water before coming back up and spraying it into the captain's face like a little fountain. Arthur was now soaked. He didn't react for a second, just stared at Merlin with a look of complete and utter shock on his face, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Merlin failed to hold in a snigger, and that seemed to knock the captain out of his shock. Arthur surged forwards, leaning one hand on the side of the crate and grabbing Merlin's pendant in his other hand, pulling Merlin up towards him. He was positively livid, he was snarling and the veins in his neck throbbed as blood pulsed through them.

Merlin's eyes widened and his breathing became shallow as a stab of fear pulsed through him and he looked up at the captain.

"You cretin! You think you could get away with that?!" he pulled harder on the chord of Merlin's pendant, making it uncomfortable for Merlin as the chord bit into the skin on the back of his neck.

"Wait, Arthur, stop!" Merlin cried out, fearful of the furious man in front of him and what he would do.

Arthur let out a growl, "That's 'Captain' to you! And you can't tell me what to do _Mer_ lin, you're just a pathetic mermaid and I am a pirate captain." He tugged once more on the pendant when an audible snap was heard and Merlin fell back into the water with a splash as the pendant's chord broke and released Merlin from its hold.

Merlin resurfaced to see Arthur inspecting the pendant, holding it up and letting the light reflect in the two rubies, his anger seemed to have simmered down slightly, and instead the captain now seemed smug.

"You know Merlin, this is a marvellous carving, I'm sure it would be expensive too, how about you let me keep this, and in return I'll forgive you for your complete lack of respect today?"

"Give it back! It's not yours!"

"Ah, that's where you're wrong Merlin. I took it, and now it's mine. That is the code of pirates after all." Arthur pointed out, throwing the pendant in the air and catching it before dropping it into his shirt pocket, sauntering towards the door.

"Please! My Mother gave it to me..." Merlin's voice cracked as he leant out of the crate towards the captain, desperation clear in his eyes.

Arthur faltered for a second, hearing the distress in Merlin's voice, but he strengthened his resolve and carried on towards the door, pulling it open as he spoke over his shoulder "don't be such a _girl_ , _Mer_ lin. It's just a pendant."

He stepped out, glancing back to see a look of betrayal in Merlin's eyes as he shut and locked the door behind him.

He turned to see Gwaine looking at him with a frown on his face, but Arthur didn't question him as he strode past towards the bow of the ship where Percival and Elyan were fixing the foremast as Leon supervised from on deck.

"Nearly done?" Arthur asked Leon as he joined him.

"Shouldn't be long captain, give us five minutes and we'll be ready to set sail."

"Thank you Leon, keep up the good work." Arthur turned on his heel and walked towards the stern of the boat, checking the ropes of the sails were ready to be untied as he passed.

He moved towards the railing at the back of the ship, leaning over it as he took the pendant out of his pocket, holding it out in front of him to inspect it.

It was a spectacular carving of a kraken, a true masterpiece. The amount of detail was remarkable, especially for such a small carving, it must have taken an incredibly steady hand to craft it. Arthur let out a low whistle as the sunlight reflected off the ruby eyes, the beauty of it striking him. It really would be worth a lot. Not that he actually planned to sell it, of course, he'd just taken it to teach the mermaid a lesson, to put him in his place.

Arthur thought back to when he left the cabin. He'd caught Merlin looking betrayed as he shut the door. But why would he feel betrayed? There was no trust between them to _be_ betrayed, so why had Merlin looked at him like that? With such anger and sorrow swirling in those molten eyes. It made no sense. Surely the mermaid knew he was only using him, surely Merlin realised he was a prisoner and couldn't just form friendships with the pirate captain? Mermaids couldn't form friendships with humans full stop. Then why on Earth would he feel betrayed?

"Captain, we're ready when you are. The foremast is fully repaired and Gwaine has checked over the rest of the ship." Arthur snapped out of his musings as Leon addressed him.

"Right, let's go then." Arthur stepped to the helm, dropping the pendant back in his pocket before taking control of the ship while Leon went down on deck and called out orders. The anchor was pulled up and the sails released and slowly but surely Arthur steered them out to sea.

***

Merlin was alone in the locked cabin, his emotions churning inside him. It felt like someone was pushing down on his chest forcing him to take fast, shallow breaths as he battled with the rage and sorrow that threatened to consume him. How _dare_ the man take his pendant, one of only two possessions he owned while he now travelled the seas, something obviously precious to him. The betrayal stung, he'd hoped the captain would set aside their differences and they could learn from each other through sharing information, but it appeared the man only wanted to use him for his own selfish gain.

But Merlin wasn't just going to sit here and mope about it, he would get his pendant back no matter what. He pushed down his misery and let his determination spur him on, hauling himself over the edge of the crate and landing in a heap on the floor; mermaids weren't exactly built to move with grace on land. He dragged himself over to the door first of all, twisting the handle to see if it was locked. As he'd thought, it was. Although he couldn't really do much on deck anyway, considering there were five pirates out there who would probably notice him as soon as he opened the door, he wasn't exactly inconspicuous, what, with the golden tail and all.

Well maybe the captain's desk would hold some useful information, or a spare key he could use when the captain was sleeping. He pulled himself towards the desk, leaving a damp trail behind him where his tail dragged on the floor. He heaved himself up into the plush chair, making it slightly damp, something he was sure the captain wouldn't approve of, and looked down at the scattered papers and items on Arthur's desk. The main item that drew his attention was the simple black journal that lay open on the page Arthur had recently made notes on. There was a diagram of a mermaid tail along with notes he'd made on their previous conversation about his eating habits.

Merlin couldn't stop himself as he reached forward and ripped the page out of the journal, letting his anger get the best of him. He was not a specimen to be observed, he was not a lesser being and he would not be treated as such. He continued flicking back through the journal ripping out important looking pages, crumpling them in his fist and throwing them across the room and then when he'd gone the whole way through he picked up the book and threw it into the corner, breathing heavily as his anger coursed through him.

He sat there for a few minutes, letting his breath even out and return to normal, letting his anger slip away. He looked around at the scattered paper and bit his lip. It probably hadn't been a good idea to act so impulsively and destroy his captor's possessions, but Merlin did tend to act before thinking about the consequences of his actions. Merlin looked towards the door nervously, certain the captain would somehow _know_ of his actions and come storming in demanding an explanation. A few seconds passed however, and as it became clear that the man wasn't psychic, Merlin relaxed slightly.

He reached down to the desk's drawers, pulling the top left one open to investigate its contents. Merlin decided there wasn't much of any interest as he rifled through the many sheets of paper, a few pots of ink and a white feathery quill. He quickly searched through the other drawers, finding similar objects and a few trinkets. He reached for the last drawer, expecting the drawer to open and show more paper and navigation devices, but as he pulled on the handle the drawer resisted and refused to open. Merlin frowned and pulled again, the exact same thing happening. He realised it was locked and his eyes widened in excitement, wondering what interesting items the drawer held that caused the captain to lock them away.

He searched the desk again, hoping to find a key, but he had no such luck. He didn't see any places around the room where it may be hidden, and he decided not to look right this second, it was hard work dragging himself around and the key might not even be here, it could be on the captain's person or hidden away in another room. Maybe he could get it from the captain while he was sleeping, if the captain had it of course.

Merlin slid to the floor and started picking up the crumpled paper strewn around the room, planning to hide the evidence of his anger. He collected all the torn parts together and shoved the loose paper back into the book, leaving it behind the crate so Arthur wouldn't see it, before he climbed back into the crate. He'd left the desk in much the same condition as he found it, bar the missing journal, so he hoped the captain wouldn't notice for a little while at least. Merlin let out a burdened sigh. Now that his anger had simmered down he was starting to feel slightly lonely. He missed his Mother. Without the pendant he truly felt that they were lost to one another. He missed Will too, and as he thought of his friend his hand reached up to touch the earring, the smooth surface calming him.

He sank down into the water, wrapping his arms around himself to provide comfort. How could he have been so mistaken about humans? He'd never realised how cruel some of them were. He'd just wanted to go out and explore the ocean, how had he managed to get into this mess? Merlin curled up even tighter as he lost himself in his thoughts, shutting his eyes to the world around him.


	5. Chapter 5

As the Sun set, giving a display of blazing colours across the whole sky and rippling upon the surface of the ocean, Arthur let out a long sigh. As the final streaks of colour darkened and allowed the stars to become visible on the dark backdrop, Leon came to stand by his side.

"Captain? Would you like me to take over while you get some rest?"

"Yes, Thank you Leon, I would appreciate that. I'll be in my cabin if you need me." Arthur sighed again, stepping away from the helm, giving control over to Leon, before he went to collect some food from their stores, both for himself and his hostage. His posture was slumped and he felt older than he was. He'd known this mermaid for only two days now but he already felt like he'd aged ten years.

He'd been thinking of Merlin all day. That look of betrayal kept replaying in his mind and his feelings of guilt had only intensified over the day. Of course, it wasn't completely his fault; the mermaid had been pushing his boundaries and being a right pain, so really it was both of their faults. Arthur shook his head as he entered the stores and chose some food at random; not really taking note of what he was doing, just allowing his limbs to do as they would. The kraken pendant felt like it had burnt a hole through his shirt, its heaviness seeming to increase as he felt guiltier as the day progressed. But it would be easy enough to replace the leather chord and he planned to return it this evening anyway.

Another thing weighing on his mind all day, apart from the guilt, was just how _different_ Merlin was from other mermaids. Or rather, how similar he was to humans. It was foolish to think that way, he knew, but Merlin really did seem _fairly_ intelligent, even though he appeared to have no survival instincts whatsoever, and he was so curious, and he showed far more emotions than the wretched creatures he'd seen in his Father's cages. It confused him no end. Why did Merlin's behaviour not fit with what he'd observed in other Mermaids? Why couldn't he just fit into the stereotypical box in his head, like all the other mermaids did?! ...there was just something about him...

He gave a long suffering sigh as he made his way to his cabin. He hesitated outside for a second, raising one hand to check for the pendant in his shirt pocket, as he'd been doing all day, before he entered his room.

He turned to see Merlin curled in a corner of the crate, looking fairly miserable, before he saw Arthur and several expressions passed over his face. Anger, sorrow. _Guilt._ Good, at least the mermaid was regretting his unreasonable behaviour this morning. Arthur moved to his desk, thinking of what to say as he placed the plate of food down, but as he did he realised something was out of place. He fully took in the sight of his desk, glancing over all his paperwork and his equipment as he tried to put his finger on what was missing.

Just a second later it clicked. His black leather journal was nowhere to be found. He turned to Merlin, who was looking rather nervous, with a thunderous expression on his face.

" _Merlin._ You've been rooting through my possessions." Venom practically dripped from his voice as he stalked towards Merlin, not noticing as he subconsciously lifted his hand to the keys hanging around his neck, under his shirt, checking they were still there. But through the haze of fear licking at his mind, Merlin noticed the action and stored the information away for later.

Merlin stayed quiet as Arthur approached and stood before his crate, not wanting to irritate the captain. Yet it seemed his silence only made the man angrier.

"Tell me where my journal is, mermaid, or I will leave you tied on deck in the blistering sun and let you suffocate to death." Merlin cowered slightly at the vicious tone of the captain's voice, it was so different to the jovial tone he'd used when conversing with Merlin earlier in the day. The rage was painted clearly across his face and Merlin dropped his head to avoid looking into the eyes that held such contempt for him.

Merlin could tell that Arthur's patience was running out so he turned slightly to point behind the crate, indicating where the journal was. He held his breath as Arthur walked around the crate to find the journal, his heart hammering in his chest as he worried about the consequences of his actions.

Arthur leant down to pick up the leather journal that looked a little worse for wear, several torn and rumpled pieces of paper stuck out of the journal at haphazard angles. Arthur let out a ragged breath as his anger increased his heart rate and made his breathing uneven. He turned towards the mermaid, fury burning bright in his eyes, hostility showing in his body language. But when he spoke he sounded strangely controlled, and they both knew this was the calm before the storm.

" _Mer_ lin, why is my journal torn up? And _why_ was it hidden behind your crate?" Arthur smiled, though not in a kind way, as he haltingly spoke, drawing out his questions and watching as Merlin squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

Merlin swallowed nervously, refusing to look at the captain as he sunk lower in the water, attempting to hide himself from the wrath of Arthur. Several tense seconds passed as Merlin tried to form an explanation, but before he could speak Arthur lashed out as his rage boiled over and his patience reached its limits. His face was red and his muscles were tense as he shouted at his hostage.

"You utter imbecile! Do you have any idea how important those notes were? How long it took to take such meticulous details? How dare you destroy my possessions and search my belongings! If you knew anything of common courtesy and respect for those of a higher position than yourself then you would have known not to do this, but then again, I guess it's just asking too much for a _mermaid_ to know anything of courtesy and respect!" He spat the words at Merlin, not caring for how the scathing words affected him.

Merlin drew in a breath as if the sting in Arthur's words had physically harmed him. For a moment he didn't reply, but then his own anger rose to the surface, overcoming his fear and anxiety.

"I know plenty of courtesy and respect, it's just that I only show it to those who are deserving of it! Which you, Captain Prat, are not!"

At this Arthur reached for the sword that leant against his desk, pulling it from its scabbard and swinging round to point the blade at Merlin's neck, suddenly seeming more deadly than just angry.

"Watch your tongue mermaid, or I shall cut it out." Merlin stretched his neck to put more distance between him and the blade as Arthur spoke again. "Now, since you seem so keen on destroying my possessions, perhaps I should return the favour." With the hand not holding his sword he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pendant, holding it firmly in his grip, threatening to shatter the fragile carving in his palm.

"Wait, don't!" Merlin called out, moving forwards, as if being closer to the pendant would somehow protect it from Arthur.

The captain raised his sword from where he had let it rest and forced the mermaid back.

"You have no control in this situation, _Mer_ lin," the name dripped with contempt and Merlin drew back even further "how many times do I need to tell you that I am the one in the position of authority here? You are at my mercy. So perhaps you should work more on pleasing me, rather than riling me up."

Merlin let his head drop to his chest as his emotions coursed through him. He was scared. The man in front of him seemed more of a monster than a human, he was vicious, arrogant and cruel, and that made him a dangerous man to anger. But at the same time, Merlin had never been one to blindly follow authority, and he didn't appreciate others putting themselves above him and playing with the power they had. He drew in a breath, feeling Arthur's eyes burning into him.

"Stop it..." It came out rather quiet, less commanding than Merlin had hoped it would be, but it caught Arthur's attention.

"What was that? Speak up mermaid." Arthur lightly tapped Merlin's chin with the flat side of his blade, forcing the mermaid to raise his head. Arthur was slightly surprised to see the burning determination in Merlin's eyes.

"I said stop it! Just stop! Why must you constantly say you are above me? What makes you more important than me? Why is it, that just because I have a tail rather than legs, you consider me a lesser being? I have thoughts and feelings just like you! I form friendships and bonds with others. I learn, I read and write. We have a society. We care for each other and protect our loved ones just as humans do. I feel pain and I can cry. I feel love and I can smile. Can't you see that we are the same? I am not a monster. I am not beneath you. We are equals. Having a tail doesn't make my life less important than yours. I just wish you understood that." Merlin's breath came out harshly as he finished his speech, glaring slightly at the captain who stood over him.

But then Arthur stepped back, trying to hide his shock at the mermaid addressing him this way, before he lowered his sword to his side. Several seconds passed as Merlin's words sunk in, his mind reeling at the amount of emotion that Merlin had shown. It was such an unusual sight to see a mermaid stand up to him, to actually hold an argument and feel so strongly over something. To move towards him, even when he had held a blade to the mermaid's throat. Merlin was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Either way, it was clear that he fought for what he believed in, and that was an admirable trait. A trait that Arthur had thought was inherently human before this moment.

And yet, this _mermaid_ showed that trait. Maybe... Maybe the traits that Arthur thought made humans, well, _human_ , were applicable to mermaids too. Perhaps they weren't the pathetic creatures he had thought them to be...

Arthur clenched his teeth in annoyance. This damn _Merlin_ was really messing with his head. He was flipping all his thoughts on their heads and making him question what he'd seen as truth just earlier this afternoon. He looked down at the pendant and then to Merlin, who was still breathing heavily as the adrenaline flowed through him, before he threw the pendant to Merlin, turning away to sheath the sword as Merlin caught the carving carefully in both hands.

"I didn't..." He paused as he reworded his sentence, "I always planned on giving it back alright? I wasn't going to steal it from you." Arthur refused to look at the mermaid as he spoke, instead choosing to balance the sword against his desk again, before reading over some papers on his desk. He didn't know what made him say it, but he suddenly felt that he didn't want Merlin to think too badly off him. He cared little for what other mermaids thought of him, but it seemed that this _Merlin_ had managed to worm himself in, and Arthur didn't want to be thought of badly by him.

Merlin looked down at the pendant, slightly shocked that Arthur had returned it, especially after he had gone off on the captain like that. The chord was still broken, but with a quick knot he'd learnt when he was younger he had it tied around his neck again. He let out a relieved breath and looked up to watch as Arthur pretended to look through things on his desk. It seemed that the man was really thinking over what he'd said.

"Thank you." Two simple words, but they shocked Arthur. Even after he had taken the pendant in the first place and then threatened to destroy it and harm Merlin...the mermaid still thanked him. He nodded jerkily in reply, not trusting his voice.

"And...I'm sorry for damaging your journal. I let my anger get the best of me and I shouldn't have gone that far." Merlin lowered his head in apology, missing the look of utter disbelief that crossed Arthur's face, his eyebrows threatening to disappear into his hairline.

It wasn't enough that the mermaid had thanked him, he was now apologising as well. Will this day's surprises never end? Merlin raised his head in time to catch another distracted nod from Arthur before Arthur turned away and began to spoke.

"It's late; I think we should both get some rest. I'll have a lot of questions for you tomorrow after all, to make up for the information I lost." Arthur strode to the bed, quickly pulling off his clothes to switch into his nightwear. Arthur was soon in bed, for once falling into a slumber rather quickly, not wanting to deal with the many new thoughts echoing through his mind.

He hadn't noticed Merlin eyeing the key that hung around his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter, I was a little nervous about writing the argument, seeing as I'm not an argumentative person myself, and when I do argue I tend to just get too emotional rather than explain my point, so I hope it was all ok.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the sixth chapter. And also the last one for a while, this is as far as I've written for now. Well, I have half of chapter 7 written but I'm super busy settling into uni atm so I don't know when that will be done.   
> I've also put a drawing of Mermaid!Merlin up on my art blog: http://whitelight-blacknight.tumblr.com/post/98330796664/a-drawing-of-mermaid-merlin-from-my-fanfic-a  
> I hope you enjoy the chapter and please leave comments if you have time <3

The silence in the cabin was only disrupted by Arthur's deep breathing and the quiet sounds of the water as Merlin moved within it. An hour or so had passed since the captain fell asleep but Merlin was still awake, waiting in the darkness until he felt it was safe to move without waking the captain. Merlin felt rather drained after their argument earlier on in the evening, but he couldn't rest yet, his curiosity had got the best of him once again, and he _had_ to know what was in that locked drawer.

He let out a breath, staring out the window behind the captain's desk, looking at all the stars in the sky. This was another reason he loved the sky, it was so variable. The day brought so many colours, as well as clouds and rainbows, clear skies or lighting. But night time was the most beautiful. Merlin had never found comfort in the dark depths of the sea, there were dangerous creatures down there and the possibility of getting lost became a real fear. But when it was dark at the surface there were so many stars that hung in the heavens, guiding lights in the darkness, a moon that shone like silver on the waves, and Merlin would feel strangely comforted, he'd feel less lonely. The stars watched over him wherever he was and Merlin was oddly grateful for their presence.

Merlin brought himself back to the present, calmer now that he had taken a moment to stare out at the night sky. He mustered his courage and drew in a breath, holding it as he pulled himself from the water, carefully leaning over the edge of the crate and raising his tail from the water before lowering himself on to the floor of the cabin, water dripping from his tail and splashing in the water within his crate.

When he was finally sitting on the floor he dared a look at Arthur, listening to the rippling water behind him. But Arthur seemed oblivious and after another few seconds Merlin allowed himself to draw breath once again. He sat for a few minutes, trying to keep calm and quiet before he started dragging himself as quietly as he could across the floor, stopping ever few centimetres to check the captain was still asleep. It seemed luck was on his side, Arthur's breath still came deep and heavy, a constant background noise as Merlin moved closer.

As he finally got close enough to touch Arthur, his breathing got faster, too anxious to take in proper breaths. Merlin pulled himself up so that he could lean over Arthur, making sure not to drip water on him. He lifted his hand and brought it to the edge of Arthur's shirt, sweat making his hand clammy. His heart was beating out a fast rhythm in his chest and he bit his lip in worry before he eventually moved the final few centimetres, going under the shirt and taking hold of the keys there.

Carefully, oh so carefully, he pulled them out from underneath the shirt, continuing to pull the chord under the man's head, nearly jumping back with fright as the man groaned in his sleep while Merlin manoeuvred his head. Fortunately the man stayed unconscious and Merlin backed away with wide eyes, his heart racing and his hands shaking.

Once Merlin was what he considered a safe distance away he let out a sigh of relief, before turning and dragging himself to the desk, staying on the floor rather than heaving himself into the chair this time. He looked down at both of the keys. One was extremely intricate, the metal curling around itself in complicated patterns on the handle of the key, the other was plain silver, it seemed old and had scratches from its many uses.

Merlin chose to try the intricate key first, as it matched the elaborate pattern of the keyhole of the drawer. He pushed it in and turned, the lock instantly giving way and Merlin pulled the drawer open. He glanced at the other key, guessing it was for the door, but since he'd already opened the drawer he may as well take a look, Arthur still appeared to be out cold and this wouldn't take very long, he could escape with little effort in just a few minutes. He ignored the small part of him that told him to stay, the part that told him he was making progress with Arthur and that they could still learn much from each other. They were only quiet whispers within him after all.

Looking back down into the drawer he let out a quiet gasp before he reached forwards for the portrait of Arthur with another older man that stood behind him, a stern look on his face and a hand on Arthur's shoulder. Merlin took in the details of the black and white etching, noting the exceptional shading that made the two men seem so life like. Arthur looked a few years younger than he did now, and he was smiling slightly too, which was more than could be said for the man who Merlin assumed was Arthur's father.

He looked back into the drawer, fishing out another etching. This one seemed more faded with age; there were three people in this portrait. The same man as before, Arthur's father, a beautiful lady who had a radiant smile, presumably his mother, and finally a very young boy who sat on her lap, Arthur. Even the father seemed to be smiling slightly in this picture; it seemed a much happier scene.

Merlin was about to place the portraits down and raid the rest of the drawer, when he felt a presence behind him and a hand came down on his shoulder with a bit too much force to be friendly.

" _What_ do you think you are doing? Is it not enough for you to destroy my journal and root through my possessions? Must you do it twice before you are satisfied?" What had started off a dark and dangerous tone had soon melted to become merely exasperated. Something Merlin was grateful for.

"I wasn't... _rooting_ through your possessions, Captain. I was merely...searching for wormwood." Merlin looked up into the captain's eyes, his own wide with faked innocence.

Arthur looked unimpressed. "How _thick_ do you think I am _Mer_ lin? I wasn't born yesterday!"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?"

" _Mer_ lin!"

"Are you angry?"

"Of course I'm _angry_ , what sort of idiotic question is that?!"

"Well, it's just that I thought you'd be angrier, you just seem rather irritated. I mean you _did_ threaten me with a sword earlier, so this is a bit of a let-down in comparison."

The angry retort Arthur had in mind to stop Merlin's rambling, died on his lips at the mention of him threatening Merlin with the sword earlier. Perhaps it was the late hour affecting his mind, or perhaps this mermaid really had got to him, because he suddenly felt guilty over threatening Merlin. Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly before replying solemnly.

"Yes, well... I was angry. Like you, I let it get the best of me and acted without thinking of the further consequences. So I guess we're even." He wouldn't actually _say_ the word 'sorry', he was too proud and awkward with his emotions for that, but he gave the best he could, and it seemed enough for Merlin, who was now beaming like the cat that got the cream.

"Now, would you please return my belongings to the drawer, if you hadn't already noticed, it is an ungodly hour and I would much prefer being asleep to squabbling with you right now." Arthur had a tone that brooked no argument, but Merlin seemed unaffected by it.

"But my company is so enjoyable; wouldn't you rather bask in my presence a little longer?" Merlin had a cheeky grin on his face as he watched Arthur turn back to him, a look of utter despair and exasperation on his face.

" _Mer_ lin! I _swear_ , if you don't get into that crate right now and go to sleep, I will tie you to the prow of the ship as a figurehead!" Merlin looked lazily up at the sleep-deprived man, unconcerned by the threat, watching as Arthur turned back to his own bed before he asked a question, in a much quieter and more serious tone.

"Are they your parents? In the portrait?"

"Yes." Arthur answered stiffly, not turning to face Merlin.

"Your mother is very beautiful, she must worry about you awfully, sailing the seas as a pirate. Where is she now?"

"Dead."

Merlin reeled back in shock and distress. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Arthur let out a sigh before interrupting; sounding more resigned than stiff now. "No, it's alright. It was a long time ago; she became ill when I was a child. Father was away on business, he was a pirate himself, the healer in town wasn't good enough at his job to save her, and the only more skilled healer, Gaius, was with my Father on the ship at the time. She passed away in her sleep. Father was devastated when he returned."

"I'm sorry. What of your Father? Is he...?"

Arthur's reply was suddenly harsh. "That's none of your concern. Get to sleep. It's late." The captain turned back and grabbed the two keys from the floor beside Merlin, slinging them around his neck before he got back into his bed. "And don't even think of trying to escape again, the crew takes turns watching over the ship. They'd spot you immediately if you left this cabin."

Merlin gave an affirmative reply, ignoring the slight twinge of relief that came when he heard he couldn't leave, before carefully putting the portraits back into the drawer. He dragged himself over to the crate, pulling himself over the edge with enough force to send a wave of water over the edge of the crate. Neither commented.

Eventually they were both asleep and the stars watched over them through the night.

***

Arthur woke before Merlin again the next morning, although judging from the amount of light streaming in through the window, they had both slept in late. Not that it was surprising when the mermaid had woken him at such an unreasonable hour in the night. He grumbled to himself as he got up and left the cabin to get some breakfast for himself, leaving the food from last night on his desk for Merlin.

As he stepped on deck he rubbed his eyes tiredly and shuffled forward. Obviously his crew could tell he was feeling drained as both and Elyan and Leon came up to ask if he was alright. He waved off their concerns, explaining that he'd been up late last night and that he'd be fine once he'd eaten. They reluctantly moved out of the way and allowed their captain past.

When he returned from their stores, dried bread in hand, he was stopped by Gwaine.

"Captain. You've kept fairly quiet about Merlin... Is he still alive?" The crew all knew his name now, as Arthur had briefed them about the mermaid after he'd stormed out with the pendant yesterday morning.

Arthur scoffed. "Yes, he's alive and kicking," he frowned as he realised the phrase couldn't really apply to someone with a tail, before going on "he kept me up for half the night as well. He's such a burden." He paused as he watched Gwaine frown slightly. "What is it?"

"I just wonder if you're treating him humanely or not. Captain." He added the title on the end as if he'd almost forgotten. Which, knowing Gwaine, he probably had.

Arthur rolled his eyes. It wasn't enough that Merlin had managed to throw all of Arthur's thoughts and beliefs in the air and make him _care_ what the mermaid thought of him, now he had his crew worrying for him too. What was it with the Merlin? He just couldn't keep out of trouble, evidently.

"He's fine Gwaine. I haven't harmed him and he's got food in there. I'm sure he's perfectly alright." Arthur moved to push past Gwaine and move to the helm of the ship, but stopped as a hand grabbed his wrist.

"We _have_ just stolen him from his home. Don't underestimate how much that can upset a person."

Arthur let out a sigh, before turning to face Gwaine and nodding slightly. Gwaine seemed satisfied and gave a small nod in return, releasing Arthur's wrist from his grip, walking off to perform his other duties.

Arthur let his mind drift for a while, staring out to sea as the last preparations were made to the ship before they set off for the day. According to his and Leon's calculations they were only a day or two's sail from Gaius now. But his mind was soon brought back to thinking of Merlin, the mermaid kept distracting him from his other thoughts and it was becoming most irritating.

But he did have a lot to think about. He'd ignored it all last night, refusing to deal with the many new ideas Merlin had brought to light, but he couldn't ignore his thoughts forever.

His whole life he'd been raised to believe that mermaids were monsters, only doing things for their own gain, that they were selfish and vain creatures. That had been proven by the creatures kept in his Father's cages. They lashed out viciously at anyone who approached them, they only cooperated when there was something in it for them and they hardly spoke, mainly they just snarled at people. He remembered he'd once been to see one of the mermaids by himself when he was a child, and found it crying... At least he assumed that was what the creature was doing; it was hard to tell when it was underwater.

But his Father had quickly found him and dragged him away from the creature, lecturing him on how dangerous they were, and when Arthur had asked why the creature was crying, Uther had knelt down to his eye level and explained that the creature was trying to use him, drawing Arthur in with fake tears to make him sympathise with it. At the time he had instantly believed his Father, but now... Maybe the mermaid really had been crying because it had been upset.

Arthur shook his head, remembering all the times several other mermaids had lashed out at him, one had even managed to scratch him from his elbow to his wrist, it wasn't too deep, but it had been painful. And he couldn't ever forget what had happened to his Father. No. Perhaps Merlin was... Not the monster Arthur had originally thought, but he was an anomaly. He had no proof that other mermaids could behave like Merlin; in his eyes the mermaids were still a cruel and worthless species. It would take more than one mermaid to change his views on that.

...but for now, perhaps he could start treating Merlin more as an equal, after all, there was just something about him that made him impossible to hate.


End file.
